"Not using it was a heartbreak, so now we have a space for the kids to go to," said Bryan Moore, of the Cincinnati Recreation Center. "It's a destination point for them."

The recreation center is working with Cincinnati Golden Gloves and the Cincinnati Athletic League to turn the old building into a boxing center for kids and teens.

Buddy LaRosa, who founded the boxing program, is excited to move it from the Mount Auburn location to the Over-the-Rhine.

"Boxing has always been an art form, and it utilizes a lot of idle time, and that's usually when youngsters get bored and get into trouble," said LaRosa.

The program, which has been in place for years, has brought about many talents like three-time world champion Adrien Broner

The activity involves much more than sparring and uppercuts, LaRosa said.

"We become like surrogate parents," LaRosa said. "(We teach them to) be on time, dress code, they have to wear their trousers over their hips when they come in here, they have to have a 2.5 grade-point average to pass. If they don't have a B they don't box, and the kids that we get we turn out champions in life."

The boxing center will be finished by September, and kids and teens will be able to join in for $2 a year in October.